Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus which reigned, from
India even unto Ethiopia, over
an hundred and seven and twenty provinces:) 2 That in
those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace, 3 In the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all
his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and
princes of the provinces, being
before him: 4 When he
shewed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent
majesty many days, even an
hundred and fourscore days. Esther 1:1-4
Esther is a wonderful book with a beautiful story. Esther
is one of two books named after a woman. It is also one of two books in the
Bible that does not mention God’s name. As we will see, as the story progresses,
God’s name is not mentioned, but one can see the “presence of God” throughout
the entire book.
The eyes of the LORD are
in every place, beholding the evil and the good. Proverbs 15:3
Background info:
Writer: Unknown
Time: 486-464
B.C.
Place: Persia
The story begins “in the days of Ahasuerus” (Xerxes his
Greek name). The king reigned from India to Ethiopia and ruled over 127
provinces, a huge kingdom, to rule and reign. There were about 60 nations that
were under the reign of Ahasuerus (A. Barnes).
This king was extremely powerful and when he spoke people
listened and obeyed. In his third year, Ahasuerus decides to have a great feast
for all his princes, nobles and servants. I’m sure all the RSVPs came back with
“will attend”.
It appears that the reason for the feast was to “show
off” all his great and wonderful possessions. The “brag” fest lasted for 180
days. Can you imagine hosting a party for 180 days? Can you image the cost of
hosting a party for 180 days which included food, drink and lodging?
The king was full of pride. His main concern was for his
welfare. It was all about him. He obviously did not know the verse, Pride goeth before destruction, and an
haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18
Pride is an attribute we should not try to attain. When
we are prideful it is all about us, nothing absolutely nothing matters but what
we want. A prideful person does not care about anyone else.
Take a few minutes to do a study on pride. Here are a few
verse to get you started:
Therefore pride
compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment. Psalm 73:6
The wicked, through
the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is
not in all his thoughts. Psalm 10:4
A man's pride shall
bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit. Proverbs 29:23
For all that is in the world, the lust of the
flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father,
but is of the world. 1 John 2:16
Join me the next time to find out what else the king is
planning. Until then,
Donna
No comments:
Post a Comment